Description: "Venture capitalist Scott Kupor explains what start-up entrepreneurs need to know about venture capital. He answers such questions as who gets a pitch meeting and who doesn't, and which metrics should you stress in a presentation, and which should you ignore. Includes a sample Term Sheet"--
Review Quotes: "Worth far more than its cover price... I wish I'd had it available to me when I was first looking for startup funding."
Eric Ries, bestselling author of The Lean Startup and The Startup Way, from the foreword
"As someone who's helped a small company become a huge, valuable company, I know firsthand the power of the startup ecosystem and entrepreneurship. This book is the definitive book on navigating VC as part of that."
Eric Schmidt, former executive chairman and CEO of Google; technical advisor, Alphabet
Sam Altman, partner and president Y Combinator; co-founder of OpenAI "As more and more startups consider an IPO, it is exciting for us to play a part in giving millions of new investors the opportunity to share in the value and future growth of these seminal companies. But it all begins with the early investors who 'venture' into uncharted territory to help make these companies possible, by backing the entrepreneurs behind them. Secrets of Sand Hill Road is the definitive guide to how to engage the VC community, including governance and other best practices in a startup's journey to a successful public company.
Adena Friedman, President and CEO of Nasdaq; former managing director and CFO, Carlyle Group "From acquiring startups, to leading a company, to working to select the next leader of an iconic company, I've seen it all. It's become clear to me that startups drive the kind of innovation that big companies can't easily do. Secrets of Sand Hill Road provides a useful overview for the next generation of leaders seeking to start such companies."
John W. Thompson, chairman, Microsoft; former CEO of Symantec "Despite its explosive growth, the world of venture capital remains mysterious to many entrepreneurs seeking funding and to the public more generally. Scott Kupor provides an informative account of the way in which these investors select and nurture young companies.
Josh Lerner, head of the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at Harvard Business School Andreessen Horowitz' managing partner Scott Kupor has written an indispensable guide for anyone with a big idea and an even bigger dream. Just as important, he gives the best explanation yet for policymakers about how entrepreneurs and venture capital together create the deep magic that generates technological progress, economic growth, and a better world for more people.
James Pethokoukis, fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; former columnist at Reuters Breakingviews